After the Storm
by I hate the snow
Summary: Rick and Lori went through a messy divorce before the world ended. Infidelity tore apart what their dreams once held. How will they handle life as they are forced to interact in a small community, complete with another's dirty little secret? For adult readers only.
1. Clash

She awoke to raindrops softly brushing her face. She reluctantly climbed from the sweet grasp of sleep, where she was safe and warm in her husband's arms and was immediately jolted into the reality of the situation. Lori Grimes knew she had to get back to the security of the Alexandria Safe Zone.

She needed her children, Carl and Judith. She slowly stood up, the pain from her left arm brought a scream to her lips.

_HER_.

She had to get back. She couldn't risk the harm coming to her children. SHE was their mother, not the woman who demolished her marriage, shattered the lives of her children and left her for dead. Searching through her pockets she found a small flashlight, which helped just a little to guide her back home.

Whatever home was nowadays.

She knew what she had to save her own life. There was nobody around to help her in the dark, and as she stood stoically there was no stench of rotting bodies from the dead. She was safe, for now. Her right fingers searched her back or the clasp of her bra. She unhooked it, shimmied out of the garment, and wrapped it around her bicep, tightening it with her teeth. With her flashlight back in her pocket she reached into her right boot, retrieving the pistol she always carried.

She remembered Merle Dixon. He was alone and had to cauterize the wound.

Pausing to regain her composure and knowing from her training as a nurse that she had a limited amount of time to get medical attention, she moved faster towards the neighborhood. The light drizzle turned into a steady downpour.

_I need to stay awake_. She said to herself.

She looked to the sky, opening her mouth to the cool water, almost as if God was finally giving her a break for once. With a renewed, fierce determination, she inhaled sharply, focused on the familiar path in front of her, and started a small jog.

* * *

Each step felt heavier than the one before it. Dizzy from the blood loss, exhaustion and hunger, she forced herself to focus on the rugged trail that laid in front of her. She found the large hanging branch from an oak tree, the branches sticking out like fingers from a horror movie.

Walking past the tree and seeing the boulder with part of the top missing, the abandoned Chevy and finally the hollowed-out tree stump, she knew she was close. The familiar wall came into focus, and a tuft of red hair turned his head to the noise. She quickly grabbed her flashlight and flipped it on, focusing the beam onto Abraham's face.

"Get the gate!" She heard him bellow.

She heard the commotion and the door opening slowly, just in time for Tyreese to catch her as she collapsed in his arms.

* * *

Lori felt the cool compress of the wet towel on her forehead. Waking up now was different from the last time she awoke, _whenever that was_.

She slowly opened her eyes and focused on the face she loved from the moment she saw him.

"Carl." She said weakly.

"Hey mom. You're okay now." He dipped the cloth into a bowl of ice water, wrung it out, and replaced it on his mother's face. The sun started to pour through the windows, flooding the clinic with warm, natural light.

"Judy?"

"She's safe. Carol has her. Just rest." Lori wanted to go back to sleep, but she knew she had a job to do. Doctor Pete Anderson had taken care of what was left of her hand, and the soft whiff of burnt flesh hanging in the air let her know the stump at her wrist was taken care of. _Thank God I was asleep for that_.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" When did her boy become so grown up? She thought. I guess I did a good job on my own.

As she opened her mouth to respond, the clinic door flew open, crashing into the wall.

"Oh my God. You're okay."

Rick.

Her skin went cold and her stomach turned. She had to get away from him.

He slowly walked up to her, holding his hand in a way a police officer would tell a suspicious person to do. He was slightly trembling, and his eyes were red-rimmed and overflowing with tears.

"Lori, you're okay." He whispered. She noticed a fresh bruise on his cheek and a fresh cut above his eye, then turned to her side, away from him, and pulled the worn flowered sheet up to her chin.

"What do you want now, Rick?" Carl snapped.

"Just…she's alive. I can't believe it."

"Yes, she is. You can go now, Rick. We don't need you anymore."

"Carl." He reprimanded sternly.

"What? You don't get to say a word to me. She's never going to be your wife again, but she's still my mother. Just go." He pointed to the door.

Pete made his way downstairs with a fresh bag of IV fluids and a syringe to alleviate the pain Lori was in.

"Rick, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." He whispered.

Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, he pled, "Can I just stay here? I thought she was dead."

"Well, she's not. You're no longer needed here, so do what you always do and leave, Rick." Carl seethed.

Pete slipped on a pair of purple gloves to examine the cut on his forehead. "You're gonna need stitches."

Paying little attention to the good doctor, Rick walked to the opposite side of Lori's bed, getting close to her own tear streaked face. "Lori, please."

She cleared her throat and slightly winced as she tried to sit up. "Just go."

"Can you at least tell me what happened?"

Not even looking at her former husband, she muttered, through gritted teeth, "go ask your whore."


	2. Before, During and After

Rick was pacing the floor as Lori's co-worker, Madison Clark, was giving her the standard directions for taking care of a newborn.

He stepped into the bathroom and turned the water on to cover up the sound of his cell phone. Before he was able to pull up his new text messages, a subject line caught his eye. The timestamp was just thirty minutes earlier.

"I'll go to the hospital myself and tell her. Do it NOW."

Exhaling sharply and realizing that today would be the day that his life would be changed irrevocably, he typed back, "All set to go. Just let me drive her home."

He flushed to toilet to make everything seem normal and refused to make eye contact when he exited the small room.

"Nervous, Rick?" Madison teased.

He offered up a polite smile before Lori reached for his arm, pulling him closer to her.

"I think he's just nervous about having a daughter. He'll be the type of dad who sits on the porch with a shotgun."

"Nothing like a daughter, right, Rick? You'll have two women in your life. Just wait until this one is a teenager." Madison joked.

His body worked on muscle memory as he enveloped his arms around his wife, giving her a small kiss on the cheek and holding her tightly, inhaling the loving, sweet scent of her skin. He parted to walk over to the window, staring blankly out to the parking lot and hoping he didn't see a red BMW pull up.

The two friends laughed as they chatted about the emergency department room gossip just seven floors below; who is getting fired, who is stealing money from the petty change box, who got more Botox and someone else who got new boobs.

Rick didn't hear the two stop talking but he was startled when Lori placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I know you're nervous. You'll be all right. You're the best daddy to Carl, and this little girl will be so lucky to have you."

"I'm fine." He whispered; his eyes filled with tears.

"I know. You'll be okay. Just wait until this little girl calls you 'daddy.' You'll melt. I love you, baby."

He offered up a half-hearted smile before saying, out of habit, "I love you too."

* * *

The drive home was nerve-wracking for the deputy. Lori had fallen asleep and her head found its way to his shoulder, and he could see his new daughter's face in the rear-view mirror. He had to calculate the perfect time to type "I'm all packed. Let me tell her, please. I'll leave as soon as I get home" without Lori seeing the phone.

"You better." Was the response.

He slid the phone back into his pocket and flipped the turn signal onto the road to take them to his soon-to-be former house.

He pulled into the driveway, not the garage, and roused Lori.

"We're home?" She mumbled, coming out of sleep.

"Yeah." He replied. One word, a monotone voice.

He made a huge mistake, but there's no going back now.

The front door opened, Shane standing in the doorway with a big smile on his face.

"There's my niece. C'mere little lady."

Lori handed her daughter over to the man whom Carl knows as "Uncle Shane," then gripped onto the doorframe to help pull herself up and into the house.

"Congratulations, Lor." He said, kissing his long-time friend on the cheek.

"Thanks. I'm dying for a shower. Where's Carl?"

"Twenty-nine hours of labor and then a C-section, I think you deserve one. And I wore him out with throwing that football around. He'll be the next Tom Brady soon." The fellow cop smiled.

The front door opened again, and Rick walked in, Lori's small suitcase in one hand.

"Baby, what's wrong? You look pale." Lori asked with concern.

"Just tired." He mumbled, shrugging off any concern.

"Just sit and I'll get you some water. She said, urging him to the kitchen table while she slowly walked to the sink to fill a glass.

Shane and Rick exchanged nervous glances. When Shane saw Lori's back was facing him he whispered the word "today?"

Rick nodded slowly and rubbed his head in frustration, nearly pulling out a fistful of hair as he realized the minutes were getting close.

Lori brought over three glasses filled with water, giving one to Shane, and the other to Rick before sitting down to drink one for herself.

"So, we're a family of four. Maybe one more time for a tie-breaker?" She asked, joking.

Her joke fell on deaf ears as neither man responded. She flinched as the doorbell rang.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

No response.

Rick jumped up and ran to the door, opening it up swiftly.

He recognized the process server.

"I need to speak with Lori Grimes." The man said bluntly.

Rick stepped back and ushered the stranger into the house and pointed to where his wife was sitting.

"What's going on?" Lori asked.

The man walked over and asked, "Are Lori Grimes?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Here." He handed her a manilla envelope, which the brunette instinctively reached for.

The man walked out of the house as soon as he could, not wanting to hear the usual screams and hollers in these cases.

"Rick? What is this?" She asked out loud as she ripped open the envelope.

She pulled out the white documents and the words caught her eye.

"Dissolution of Marriage."

"Rick, what is this?" She asked.

He quickly opened the hallway closet, grabbed a pre-packed suitcase and opened the front door. Walking back to his wife, now in tears, he softly said "Sorry, Lori. I'm sorry." He slipped off his wedding ring and placed it on the kitchen table before turning and rushing out of his house for the final time with his wife crying loudly in the background.

* * *

She tried not to make eye contact with the woman sitting in the front row of the courtroom.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the thick dreadlocks and the woman's high-heeled leg bouncing annoyingly.

The woman was accompanied with her three children. Lori guessed their ages to be six, four and two – the youngest the same age as Judith. All children bore a striking resemblance to Rick.

Rick, who was wracked with guilt, wanted to give Lori the best he could. He let her keep the house. It was his childhood home, inherited to him after his parents passed away. She didn't have to carry a mortgage. The house was hers. Most of his pension went to her, and his alimony and child support payments alone would leave his paycheck a fraction of what it once was.

The judge lowered his gavel, and the divorce was declared.

The marriage was over.

The woman with the dreadlocks stood and walked out quickly, the toddler on her hip and her high heels clicking on the hardwood courtroom floor. Her two children were behind her, walking faster than usual to keep up with the much taller woman.

Rick looked at Lori. His now former wife. The romance that started at a college frat party and commenced in a church on a beautiful sunny day, just ended in a courtroom on an old, dreary afternoon. Promises of everlasting love were long gone, and the reality of a dead marriage and a broken family for his children seemed suddenly all too real.

He longed to say something to her. Something that would make it better.

"Save it." She said, holding up her hand towards him and walking away without any conversation or any look into his eyes.

He stood in the mostly empty courtroom, the din of whispered conversation. He snapped out of his trance when a sharp "Rick!" broke the silence.

He looked up and saw Michonne, one hand on her hip and a scowl on her face.

He walked towards her sheepishly, picking up his four-year old son, Andre, as he walked quickly to keep up with her.

* * *

Shane had just finished cleaning his apartment when there was a knock on the door. He saw a familiar face when he looked through the peephole. A face he hasn't seen in a longtime.

He opened the door quickly.

Lori.

"Hey."

"Hey." She replied.

They stood in silence, before she asked, "can I come in?"

"Sure, what was I thinking?" He mumbled.

Lori entered the small flat, thinking of all the good times she had with Rick and Carl while in this very spot. From Super Bowl parties to late night movies and friendly, casual dinners, what was once a second home now felt foreign to her.

"I never thought I'd see you again. I thought you'd hate me because…"

"…because you knew the entire time? You knew about those little bastards and that mop headed whore the entire time?"

"Yeah." He whispered silently.

"I hated you for a long time. Part of me still does."

"Sorry."

He looked at her, his one-time crush in college. Rick, always the nice guy, got the girl, but lost her over a mistake he kept making.

The way Lori in that moment was beautiful. The dress she wore, dark blue adorned with violet flowers, brought out the hazel in her eyes. Her hair was swept up in a French braid with loose ringlets breaking free. He felt his heart starting to race.

"I haven't seen you since."

"The day Judy was born. She chuckled. When Carl was born, I got a pair of earrings. When Judy was born, I got divorce papers."

"So, are we cool now?"

"We will be." She smirked.

She tried to hide her the shaking in her hands and hope he wouldn't notice that she broke out in goosebumps. Shane stayed in awkward silence as he struggled to understand what Lori was trying to say.

"Shane," She sighed. "I remember the time you fixed the leak under our kitchen sink. You had those green shorts on, and you were lying on your back with one leg bent. From where I was standing, I could see right up your leg. You weren't wearing underwear."

"Sorry." He mumbled, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"Don't be. I couldn't take my eyes off it. Off you. That was five years ago, and I've thought about it every day since. No wonder you were so popular in college."

Shane was silent, and slowly moved closer to her.

"Jenny has the kids. I'm divorced, free as a bird. Rick is with that THING and their little shits. I want you to fuck me."

"Lori?" He broke out in a cold sweat. This was his best friend's wife. The three were inseparable in college.

"No, I know what I'm saying. I'm completely sober. I know what I want. All the women who've been with you haven't complained." As she spoke, she kicked off her shoes, showing bare legs and red-tipped toenails. Reaching up, she slowly undid her hair, letting it down in a soft wavy bunch of natural curls down to her chest.

He was standing in place, unable to move. The sensual scent of her familiar perfume heightened his anticipation for what he knew was about to happen. She deliberately unzipped her dress and let it fall to her feet, kicking it aside. Shane marveled at how toned her body was, her flat stomach and breasts screaming to be free from her black lacy bra.

His mouth was dry. Unable to focus, unable to speak.

"I just want sex, Shane." She reached behind her to unclasp her bra, dropping it in front of her, at Shane's feet. His body reacted naturally as she stood in front of him, naked except for her black thong.

"Lori…"

"I want you to fuck me." She began to shimmy out of her thong before he stopped her.

Before the disappointment and rejection clutched her heart, he said, "I'll do that part."

She grinned as he quickly moved forward and kissed her, gently at first, than deeper, lifting her up and pinning her to the wall. She could feel him through his sweatpants, just two thin pieces of material standing between them. The kissing was frantic, like a drowning man reaching for a life jacket. On the rare occasion their lips parted his sucked on her neck, focusing on the soft spot under her ear. He got harder with every moan that came from her throat.

She wrapped her legs around his torso as he held her ass and moved toward his bed. She lifted up his tee shirt which he quickly flung against the wall.

_She needed this._

He dropped her on the bed, his own body following closely. In that moment they couldn't get enough of each other. She felt his entire weight on top of her, grasping and kneading her breasts before he stood back up, grabbed slipped off her thong and raised her legs, placing her ankles on his shoulders.

She gripped onto the sheets as her face twisted in agonizing pleasure. She arched off the bed with a moan of raw lust as his fingers found the most intimate part of her. He found her slick and ready; he caressed and probed, his fingers sliding in and out of her as her moans grew louder. When his mouth took the place of his fingers, she gasped, her body shook uncontrollably.

She struggled for breath as she looked at him, his face buried in her crotch. His eyes were closed in concentration, focusing on her needs. She could feel him smiling as he sucked at her clit, he was enjoying this way too much. She grabbed a handful of his hair before she began to shudder and the moan that had been trapped in her throat was released. Her legs trembled as she climaxed, making him smile at how he made her feel. His hands gently set her bottom onto the mattress before he started to pull down his now too-tight pants.

"You okay?" he asked with a sly grin.

The air was electric; all they wanted in the moment was each other. Unable to wait, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her hands found his buttocks and she pulled him closer. Knowing what he wanted, and desperate to feel alive again, she parted her mouth and accepted the warm, smooth tip of his cock.

"Oh, God." He said hoarsely. He groaned as he felt the back of her throat. He loved the warmth of her mouth, the way her tongue tickled and gently glided up and down his shaft. He wanted more. "Lie back." He said, just barely above a whisper. He fumbled with the nightstand drawer, finding a condom.

"Don't bother. I'm on the pill again. I don't want anything between us."

He smiled and nodded, then ran his hands under her ass and hoisted her hips as he positioned himself between her legs. He pushed into her smoothly, yet forcefully.

At first neither moved. They had to get used to being physically united. His eyes were tightly closed as he took in the sensation of her warm wet walls. She wasn't used to this level of physical desire. The passion the made her cry out, first at the sudden thickness inside her, and then at the maddening slow pace. He throbbed within her, white lights flashing behind his eyes as he began to move in and out of her at an increasingly frantic pace. Their mouths crashed together, their tongues fighting for dominance. His could feel her inner muscles tighten, holding him just where she need him to be. He felt her breasts bounce with every unrelenting thrust.

The carnal, savage instinct took over. He pulled out only to flip her over to her belly before resuming his ruthless assault on her body. Their movements grew frenetic, animalistic, as Lori experienced a level of pleasure she had never known before. His hands found their way to her soft pink button and the room started to spin. She buried her face into the pillow and silently screamed in blissful agony.

He moaned with relief as she felt him spill his warmth inside of her. She never knew sex could be like that. Sex with Rick, especially when she was pregnant with their daughter, was safe. He'd kiss her on the forehead after a few thrusts, and then he'd roll over and go to sleep or check his phone. But Shane was like a caged animal set free.

"Y'all okay?" He asked.

"Mmmm." Was all she could say until she regained her composure.

He pulled out when he went soft and laid down next to her. Her eye shadow was smeared, her face wet from tears and sweat, and her hair was a mess. But right there, she was the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

She propped herself up on her elbow and scanned his sculpted body. His biceps were twice the size of Rick's, his stomach muscles were perfectly defined, and his thick cock was much larger than the only one she had known, until that moment. His entire body was simply a work of art.

"So, you wanna stay the night?" He asked, watching her eyes as they inspected him. He reached over and tenderly stroked her breast.

She shook her head and sighed, getting up reluctantly. She found her thong and slid it on, knowing that Shane 's eyes were on here the entire time. She enjoyed being gawked at. It made her feel…HE made her feel sexy again.

"I gotta get back to the kids. I got full custody, but the Jones's will be watching my every move." Her legs slightly shook as she walked back to her clothes.

He followed her, still naked, to the front door. She slowly put her bra back on and stepped into her dress, almost teasing him with her svelte figure, before asking him to zip it up.

"I could stay at your house tonight. If you want."

Millions of thoughts flowed through her mind. Knowing that Rick had sex with the other woman in their marital bed while she was in the hospital after giving birth to Carl was the one scenario that haunted her from the trial. She reasoned, in her mind, that two could play that game. "Well, Carl hasn't seen you in a while. Judy's already walking."

He winced at how much he missed.

"When is your next shift?" She asked.

"Two days. I'm with him again." He stammered.

"Better you than me."

"Lori, look, I'm sorry. I told him to stop…"

"Forget it. He's history. At least to me."

Seconds ticked by, feeling like minutes, as neither one spoke. Lori didn't hide the fact that she was staring at Shane's still naked body. His "22" necklace rested on his sweaty chest, and his now-flaccid cock was still impressing in its girth.

"Carl falls asleep around nine. Judy goes to sleep at 7. See you at 915? Stay for the night. Maybe two."

He smiled, a mixture of relief and embarrassment, together with a strong, overwhelming sense of hunger to taste her again. He stepped forward and kissed her again, and she happily accepted his mouth upon hers.

"You think Jenny could wait another hour?" He said with a grin, already hard again.

"She's gonna have to."

* * *

Lori finished her latte and dropped the cup in the trash before walking into the hospital's emergency room. Her morning routine over the past two years; drop Carl off at school, Judy at the hospital's day care center, then start work, was slightly off. Her crotch hurt from being with Shane. He was nothing compared to Rick; the way he tasted, the moves he made in bed, and how he always left her breathless. Having sex with her former husband was like petting a cute kitten. Sex with Shane was like wrestling a tiger. And the stamina. She invited him over for one night, but it turned into thirty-six hours of reuniting with Carl, and when the boy was in school and Judy napping in her crib, he had her bent into impossible positions and unlocked levels of pleasure she never knew before.

She knew it wasn't a relationship that would last. She didn't care. She wanted to see the look on her ex's face when she told him about being with Shane. She kissed Judy goodbye and walked to the emergency room, interested in the cases she would see that day.


End file.
